Make the First Move
by WeasleyForMe
Summary: "Bill let out a small chuckle, and Hermione's eyes widened as his green eyes met hers. She had been staring again!"


_Make the First Move by WeasleyForMe_

_"Bill let out a small chuckle, and Hermione's eyes widened as his green eyes met hers. She had been staring again!"_

_This story was written for the Twin Exchange February Challenge! _

_Prompts: Bill/Hermione, Stained clothes, "Invite him out for a drink and then, after about twenty minutes, casually drop into the conversation the fact that you'd like to marry him and have lots of sex and babies."_

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"The investment portfolios look great, Hermione," Bill said, skimming over the last pages in the folder in front of him. "I'll bring them back to your office so you can sign them once I'm finished," he said while checking one of the calculations.

Hermione stood on the other side of Bill's desk, studying the delicious looking lines of his strong jaw. His ginger hair was cropped short now that he had an office job with Gringotts, and he always dressed in shirts that emphasized his broad shoulders and slim waist. She had been very surprised to learn he was single again; attractive, intelligent war heroes didn't stay unattached for very long. And there was just something adorable about that dimple…

Bill let out a small chuckle, and Hermione's eyes widened as his green eyes met hers. She had been staring again!

"Hermione? How does that sound?" he asked with a smile.

"Great! That sounds great, Bill. I'll be waiting for you. At my desk," she said nervously. "You know, I mean I'll be waiting for you to finish up the paperwork. Okay? Great."

Hermione quickly turned away from him, her face burning with embarrassment. Once she passed through his office door, she closed it and leaned against it.

"Seriously, woman. Get a grip," she whispered, trying so hard to forget about her sexy coworker as she smoothed her hands along her white silk blouse.

"Hermione, may I offer you some advice?"

Hermione looked up to see Parvati Patil, Bill's receptionist, sitting behind her desk outside Bill's office.

"Sure, Parvati. Advice about what, exactly?" she asked cautiously.

The low tone of Parvati's voice lured Hermione closer as she said, "It's really quite obvious that you fancy Bill."

"It is?!" Hermione said in a squeaky whisper, mortified by the possibility that everyone in the office knew about her crush.

Parvati nodded sharply. "Yes."

"Do you think _Bill_ knows?" she asked, barely audibly.

"I think he would have to be blind not to."

Hermione's heart sunk. She felt like a first-year with a crush on Oliver Wood all over again.

"But don't get too discouraged. He sometimes makes offhand comments about seeing you at lunch, and he usually looks at you long after you've started walking away," Parvati added with a smile.

"He does? But, he never sits with me in the cafeteria!" she said. "That doesn't even make sense."

Parvati shrugged. "Maybe he's too nervous to. Maybe one of you just needs to make the first move. Want to hear my idea?"

Hermione nodded.

Parvati grinned wickedly. "You should invite him out for a drink and then, after about twenty minutes, casually drop into the conversation the fact that you'd like to marry him and have lots of sex and babies."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "How did you know that?!"

"Oh Hermione, it's just crystal clearly written on your face right now! Just ask him out for a drink and see what happens," said Parvati persuasively.

"I'll think about it," Hermione said as she turned and walked quickly away.

The clock ticked along slowly as Hermione sat in her small office waiting for Bill to return her work to her. If Parvati knew about her attraction to Bill, then she must have been doing a very poor job of hiding it. Perhaps if she did ask him out for a drink, he would say no and she could start to get over him. There was no way he'd say yes.

"Coffee break, Hermione," announced Dean Thomas, sticking his head inside her office door.

"Thanks, Dean," she said, accepting a steamy mug from her friend with a smile. "I owe you one tomorrow," she added as he turned to go back to his own office.

"Yes you will!" he added with a laugh.

Just as Hermione took a sip of coffee, Bill knocked before letting himself into her office. She quickly set the mug on the corner of her desk and smiled.

"Here you go. Everything is finished up and ready for your signature." He held up the folder before setting it on her desk, accidentally hitting the mug of coffee. Bill watched in horror as the dark liquid sloshed dangerously over the rim of the mug and splashed onto Hermione's blouse.

"Ow!" she squealed, jumping up from her chair. Bill rushed around her desk to help as she started waving her hands in front of the fabric covered in scalding coffee.

"Oh bugger, I'm so sorry!" Bill apologized as he tried to figure out how to help but realizing he'd left his wand in his office. He pulled the hem of her blouse from her skirt and waved the fabric to help it cool off faster. As he shook the silk fabric, several of the buttons came undone, and few seconds later, when the coffee had cooled, Hermione looked down at her condition.

She realized her bra was partially visible and her entire outfit was likely ruined.

"I'm so sorry!" Bill exclaimed as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"It's okay, really," Hermione insisted. "No harm done."

"You should take your blouse off, so I can run it to the cleaners for you," Bill said.

Hermione paused before she laughed. "You want me to take my blouse off?"

Bill's eyes went wide. "I didn't mean- You don't have to- I was just trying to help," he stammered as he realized what he'd suggested to her.

Bill watched in awe as Hermione proceeded to undo the remaining buttons and shrug her blouse over her shoulders. In the briefest of moments, Bill was treated to the image of Hermione's curvy body in just a lacy bra and a skirt.

She blushed deeply as she quickly pulled her suit jacket from the back of her chair and put it on. She did up the buttons, the top of her bra still visible.

Bill cleared his throat. "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

"You were the one who suggested I take it off!" she said, thrusting the stained blouse into his hands.

"Yes, I suppose so, but I didn't think you would actually do it in front of me at work!" he replied with a saucy wink.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, now you can take it to the cleaner for me," she said, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be alone.

Bill smiled and leaned closer to her. "Would you like to get a drink with me this weekend? I could get your shirt cleaned and give it back to you at the Leaky Cauldron on Saturday night."

"Really?" Hermione asked, and a chant of _'Lots of sex and babies!' _started in the back of her thoughts.

"Well, yeah," Bill confirmed, looking at the younger woman in front of him with undisclosed desire. "Parvati has managed to plant in my mind that you might want to get a drink with me. But if not, I'll just bring your blouse back on Monday."

Hermione smiled, mentally writing a thank you note to Parvati. "I'd love to. Saturday, Leaky Cauldron, at seven?" she managed to ask easily.

"Perfect," Bill confirmed with a wink as he left with her blouse in tow.

Hermione spun around in a circle before returning to her seat and getting back to work with a smile on her face.

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_Thanks for reading! I wrote this story for a Twin Exchange Challenge. Don't forget to read all of the entries and vote for your favorite!_

_Reviews=Love (Happy Valentine's Day!)  
_


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